Speaking to Silence
by Azamiko
Summary: Naruto doesn't cry; he talks.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. Silence does

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Naruto talks to people who aren't there.

Late at night, early in the morning, anytime he is by himself, the words start pouring out, pitch and tone surging like an emotional electrical socket. When he is alone, he can't help it. Naruto, the boy who clutches his emotions close, shields his heart with a smiling face, and only speaks in a loud, strong voice, cannot do those things when he is alone. But, instead of crying, instead of mourning in silence, his voice bursts out, slowly at first, but getting faster and faster until he is forced to stop or risk suffocation.

Naruto tells things to the silence.

He doesn't really believe that anyone is listening, no proud ancestor, no benevolent god who will make the world right, someday, _someday._ When he was young, he spoke to his parents, knowing nothing about them other than that they were dead. At least, he hopes that they are dead. The idea had crossed his mind, more than once, that perhaps they had been as disgusted by his existence as the rest of the village. When he thought of that, he stopped speaking to them. Silly, no? To be giving the silent treatment to someone he'd never met.

But still, he speaks.

Not knowing if anyone will ever listen, growing cold at the thought that no one will ever care, Naruto speaks to the world at large. Maybe he hopes that someone, somewhere in the shadows, is watching him, _hearing_ him. Maybe he has someone specific in mind, as he spills all of his secrets to the stoic, dependable trees surrounding the boy. Maybe he is right, and someone is watching. Maybe someone is listening. Maybe, just maybe, there is someone there.


	2. Listening to Silence

Disclaimer: Sasuke is not mine. Naruto is not mine. Silence is...

Thanks to: UE, Fantastical Queen EbonyBlack (can I just call you Ebony?), Nissie, starry096, and Eternal Midnight..

Um, since she's reviewed, like,everythingI've written, this is for Ebony...(and all other reviewers, but especially her...)

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Listening to Silence

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Sasuke listens to silence.

It's all he has left now; so he spends his time--when he's not training or being bothered by those silly _girls_--simply listening. Over time, he's learned to differentiate between silences, the silence of mourning, the silence before something terrible happens, the silence when all of the screaming has died down. Yes, he knows silence.

More recently, as he's forced into spending time with his idiot teammates, he's learned about other silences. From Kakashi, he's learned about silent laughter, when you can _feel_ the other person laughing, but no sound passes over the other's lips. Even Sakura, loud as she is, can be silent, has taught him about silence. She is the silence of early mornings and warm spring days, when the team is just sitting, eating lunch or resting between sparring bouts, and there is no need for talking because all of their other senses are filled to capacity.

Naruto…

Sasuke has decided that Naruto, the so-called 'loudest ninja,' has so many different silences that it would be pointless to name them all. If Sakura's silences are warm spring days, then Naruto's are summer evenings, bright and dark at the same time, heavy with the weight of what has passed and a hint of the promise of what is to come.

Perhaps because it is so rare to hear one of Naruto's silences, but somehow, they have become Sasuke's favorite. He doesn't know why, but somewhere along the way, the last of the Uchiha clan has grown…comfortable with the other boy, with his silence _and_ his loudness.

As much as he likes Naruto's silence, though, there is one thing that he likes better. There are times, when Naruto thinks that he is alone, that he talks. Not loudly, not boastfully, but like a child, telling the trees about his day, about this or that. Nothing important, he isn't the sort to have real secrets, but just…simple things. Naruto doesn't know that Sasuke listens to this, any more than he knows that Sasuke listens to people's silence. Perhaps, one day, Sasuke will tell him.

Or, perhaps, he will let the silence speak for him.


End file.
